Depressed testosterone release from testicular tissue in vitro after withdrawal of oestrogen treatment in patients with prostatic carcinoma

Bilateral orchiectomy was performed in patients with prostatic carcinoma after oestrogen treatment for different periods of time. Testicular slices were incubated in vitro to examine the effect of previous oestrogen treatment on testosterone production. After short-term treatment, the testicular tissue responded to human chorionic gonadotrophin by testosterone production. This was in contrast to long-term administration of oestrogen which induced arrest of testosterone synthesis. The results suggest irreversible changes of Leydig cell function after long-term oestrogen treatment.     

Oncogene expression in small-cell lung cancer cell lines and a testicular germ-cell tumor: activation of the N-myc gene and decreased RB mRNA

N-myc and L-myc proto-oncogenes are expressed in many developing embryonic tissues. In contrast to expression of the closely related c-myc gene, N-myc and L-myc expression is very restricted in adult tissues. We show that small amounts of the L-myc RNA can be detected in normal adult testicular tissue. A high level of N-myc expression from a single-copy N-myc gene was found in a malignant tumor of the testis, histopathologically defined as a seminoma. This tumor also showed a decrease of mRNA from the retinoblastoma gene (RB), which is ubiquitously expressed in all normal tissues. Strikingly similar results on elevated expression of the L-myc and N-myc genes and a lack of RB mRNA have been reported in small-cell lung cancer cell lines, and are confirmed in our study.     

Effects of hempseed and flaxseed oils on the profile of serum lipids, serum total and lipoprotein lipid concentrations and haemostatic factors

Summary Background Both hempseed oil (HO) and flaxseed oil (FO) contain high amounts of essential fatty acids (FAs); i.e. linoleic acid (LA, 18:2n-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3n-3), but almost in opposite ratios. An excessive intake of one essential FA over the other may interfere with the metabolism of the other while the metabolisms of LA and ALA compete for the same enzymes. It is not known whether there is a difference between n-3 and n-6 FA of plant origin in the effects on serum lipid profile. Aim of the study To compare the effects of HO and FO on the profile of serum lipids and fasting concentrations of serum total and lipoprotein lipids, plasma glucose and insulin, and haemostatic factors in healthy humans. Methods Fourteen healthy volunteers participated in the study. A randomised, double-blind crossover design was used. The volunteers consumed HO and FO (30 ml/day) for 4 weeks each. The periods were separated by a 4-week washout period. Results The HO period resulted in higher proportions of both LA and gamma-linolenic acid in serum cholesteryl esters (CE) and triglycerides (TG) as compared with the FO period (P < 0.001), whereas the FO period resulted in a higher proportion of ALA in both serum CE and TG as compared with the HO period (P < 0.001). The proportion of arachidonic acid in CE was lower after the FO period than after the HO period (P < 0.05). The HO period resulted in a lower total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio compared with the FO period (P = 0.065). No significant differences were found between the periods in measured values of fasting serum total or lipoprotein lipids, plasma glucose, insulin or hemostatic factors. Conclusions The effects of HO and FO on the profile of serum lipids differed significantly, with only minor effects on concentrations of fasting serum total or lipoprotein lipids, and no significant changes in concentrations of plasma glucose or insulin or in haemostatic factors.     

The Well-being Profile--an Internet tool for school health promotion

For years, the WHO has, in accordance with the 'settings' idea, encouraged a whole school approach when trying to promote health and well-being in schools. This developmental study analyses the implementation and pilot phase experiences of a holistic well-being evaluation tool for schools, the School Well-being Profile, on the Internet. The Profile is based on the theoretically established School Well-being Model. The School Well-being Profile consists of electronic survey forms and an automatic facility that analyses and produces results on the data in graphic and numeric form. After the data has been entered, the primary user within the school can immediately view and print out the results. The figures can be compared with the averages of all schools to pinpoint areas where well-being is different from that in the other schools. The Profile resides on a Finnish National Board of Education server (www2.edu.fi/hyvinvointiprofiili) and its use is free of charge for all schools. The Profile became popular in its first year: it was used by 33 primary schools, 28 lower secondary schools and 9 upper secondary schools with a total of 9,169 respondents. Overall, 94% of the students and 99% of the personnel expressed that it had been at least fairly easy to fill in the questionnaire. The paper shows that theoretical research in health promotion can effectively be put into practice using information technology tools. The project that produced the School Well-being Profile ended in 2004, yet the WWW-Profile continues to gain new users. The school administrators, personnel and students have found the Profile easy to use and worth the time and effort invested by the school. The strategies adopted in the design and dissemination of the Profile seem to have been successful in providing a sustainable resource to contribute to the future promotion of well-being in schools.     

The value of angiofluorography in serous central retinopathy diagnosis

Central serous retinopathy is a disease of young and middle-age male in which the fluorescein angiography (FA) can be useful for the diagnosis of certainty, especially for the cases with chronic evolution. The method can be used for the exclusion of other diseases with similar clinical appearance. This work shows a few cases of disease for that the FA was performed to certificate the diagnosis.     

Attempted treatment of tri-ortho-cresyl phosphate intoxication with a water-soluble protein-free extract of mammalian heart muscle

Recosen^® protects cocks from paralysis caused by tri-ortho-cresyl phosphate.This work was supported by a Grant (No 869-1/72) from the Foundation for Scientific Research of the Republic Bosnia and Herzegovina.